Bug FAQIdia occidentalis
Idia occidentalis · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Erebidae
Idia occidentalis is a yellow-brown moth with a cloudy wing pattern and a wingspan of about 30 mm. Adults are on the wing from May through October, most commonly in August in the northern part of its range.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The moth is yellow-brown with a cloudy pattern on its wings.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Its wingspan measures roughly 30 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adult moths appear in August in the northern part of the range.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults fly from May to October, with a peak in August in the north.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 14 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Montana, Texas, New Mexico, Oregon, Colorado, Arizona, Idaho.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
When are adults active?
Adults are on the wing from May through October, especially in August in northern areas.
Source: Wikipedia
What does Idia occidentalis look like?
It is yellow-brown with a cloudy wing pattern and a wingspan of about 30 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Is it related to any other species?
It was once treated as a subspecies of Idia lubricalis.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Erebidae)
Spongy MothLymantria disparDamages trees, gardens or crops
Fall Webworm MothHyphantria cuneaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Brown-tail MothEuproctis chrysorrhoeaCan irritate skin
Isabella Tiger MothPyrrharctia isabella
Virginian Tiger MothSpilosoma virginicaCan irritate skin
Salt Marsh MothEstigmene acreaDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idia_occidentalis
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-27 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-27.